PR Reflections

With the advent of the digital era, obviously there’s been a quantum change in the publishing media landscape over the past couple of decades. That said, a lot of what I was doing nearly 20 years ago (time flies…!) still rings true and is as valid now as it was before the rise of e-marketing.

I still truly believe that PR is a vital and cost effective element of the marketing mix within the science and healthcare industries, and a well-planned public relations programme carries with it multiple benefits that can have a significant business impact. From building company and product awareness and positioning a company as experts in a certain field, through to increasing SEO, due to coverage gained and links built from media relevant to a company’s business. With increasing investment in website SEO, there is a constant need for quality content – something that PR is a perfect tool for.

Moving on from my memory lane musing, well-written releases and in-depth technical articles are key to an effective PR (and web content driving) programme, so I thought that I’d throw in a few thoughts on when they can be very effective.

Developing a press release or article

The first stage to developing a press release or article is to identify if it is definitely the most appropriate tool to communicate your messages.

• New or updated products and services: Any new or revised product or service news

• Products for new markets: Any new product that has a specific market application

• Technologies: New ways of making or doing things, new processes incorporated into your products

• Company news: Major contracts, strategic alliances, acquisitions, new equipment and/or facilities. New personnel in key positions are also of interest, as are presentations/speeches, new marketing campaigns, awards, patents, etc

• Trends: Other industry trends or developments can also prove to be very newsworthy, particularly if it is an area in which you can offer expert opinion and is highly relevant to the company’s product offering

• Research/background information: Industry research results/statistics and scientific posters and presentations provide strong PR content, again positioning the company as experts in a particular area

• Exhibitions, symposia and events: Announcements of event attendance, posters, presentations and seminars etc can help drive more traffic to a stand or encourage registration to specific events

That all said, what should also be noted is that a news release may not always be the ideal communication tool. For example, if a particular message is very time critical, then it may be necessary to consider advertorial or advertising to guarantee publication and by a specific date and with a specific angle/approach. Also, it shouldn’t be forgotten that publishing media are businesses themselves and so there really has to be some give and take! The times of editorial working completely separately to advertising I feel are pretty much over, although having strong relations and two-way trust are still as vital now as they were 20 years back. After all, people are still people even in a digital age!

To find out how Alto can help you plan your PR program and develop engaging PR content for (Life) Science, Healthcare and Industry you can read more here.

Written by Sarah Perceval – Senior Account Manager

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